1.0 Executive Summary 3 2.0 Team Information 4 2.1 Team History 5 2.2 Timeline 6 2.3 Growth Highlights 7 2.4 Future Plan 8 2.5 Demographics 2.6 Diversity Plan 9 10 2.7 Team Structure 11 2.8 Organizational Plan 12 2.9 Robots over the years 13 3.0 Financial Plan 17 3.1 Target Market 18 3.2 Fundraising 19 3.3 2018 Build Season Budget 20 3.4 Transactions By Account 21 3.5 FIRST CAW 22 3.6 Sponsorship Relationships 23 3.7 2018 Sponsorships 24 3.8 Deployment of Resources 25 3.9 Team Purchase Protocols 26 4.0 Strategic Plan 27 4.1 SWOT Analysis 28 4.2 Season Goals 29 4.3 Strategic Plan Objectives 30 4.4 Action Plan 31 5.0 Appendix 36 5.1 Awards Timeline 37 5.2 Contact Information 40 5.3 Media Outlets 41
Executive Summary Mission Statement Our mission is to help FIRST(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) inspire the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and business leaders. Through active outreach measures and high quality team performance, Team 5012 Gryffingear will strive to get people within our local community and around the globe invested in FIRST Robotics. Team Information Origin: The Palmdale Aerospace Academy (TPAA) opened in 2012 in Palmdale, California. Our team was founded in November 2012 by Mr. Martin and Mr. Brophy, two teachers from The Palmdale Aerospace Academy, along with 30 students and their parents who showed interest in the program. With support from the TPAA board members, school administration, local aerospace companies, and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams 399 and 585, we were able to start our first competition season the following year in 2013. What We Do: Each year we design and build a functioning robot to compete in the current competition season s game within six weeks as well as raise money for our team expenses. In addition to our work with the robot we strive to reach out to our community in order to spread the spirit of FIRST as well as of STEM. Team Connections: Team 5012 has made it essential that all its assets, including student members, parents, team mentors, sponsors, and the community maintain positive relationships. Gryffingear also works with local FRC teams 399 and 2339 in addition to mentoring FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams 7372, 8396, 8714, and 9098 and FIRST Lego League (FLL) team the B-2 Bombers. Currently, team 5012 has ten active sponsors for the 2016 competition season. Since the 2014 World Championships, team 5012 members have been inspired to continue from their success as rookies. Now, as a fifth year team, the students work diligently and continue to learn skills from both mentors and from experience. Sharing FIRST in the Antelope Valley will require the help of numerous members of the community. This year we hosted an FRC kickoff for local southern California teams, and we will be attending a FIRST competition here in the valley. Establishing a network of schools, businesses, and teams in the Antelope Valley is the next step in creating a sustainable FIRST presence in the AV. Program Summary FRC team 5012 Gryffingear is a program offered to the high school students of The Palmdale Aerospace Academy. The club is an opportunity for students to learn valuable technical, professional, and life skills. The team offers a variety of roles that allows students of any talent or interest to find a place on the team. FRC team 5012 aims to inspire students to push their limits and have fun doing it.
Team Information
Team History The team was founded by a group of 38 students and two teachers at the Palmdale Aerospace Academy in Palmdale, CA. The group first met in December of 2012, but due to our formation being so late in the year we decided not to participate in any competitions that year. Instead, we took the opportunity to learn during a prerookie season in which we were mentored by teams 399 and 585. In August of 2013, we officially received our team number, 5012, from FIRST. That year we participated in the game Aerial Assist at the Inland Empire and Las Vegas regionals at which we earned the Rookie All-Star award twice. This achievement allowed us to advance to World Championships in St. Louis in our rookie year where earned the Imagery Award. The following season in 2015 we prepared for the game Recycle Rush at Inland Empire and Las Vegas. After winning the Las Vegas Regional we advanced to World Championship once again. It was at the 2015 FRC World Championship that our alliance won. This season our fortress has grown to 43 students preparing for the game Stronghold. The entire Palmdale Aerospace Academy kingdom has grown to over 110 students amounting to over 10% of the student body. In addition to FRC team 5012 there are 5 FTC teams and 1 FLL team on campus.
Growth Highlights Since the launching of our team in November 2012, our team has expanded to more than 40 members. The TPAA Robotics Program has extended to four FTC teams which totals more than 110 students, or 10% of the student body, that are involved with FIRST at our school. TPAA Robotics Program has become the largest club organization on campus. In future years we hope to bring more students into the school s FTC teams to provide more opportunities to eager students. There is a waiting list of more than 100 students hoping to join a robotics team. During the 2017 FRC build season the team roster lists the names of 41 student members and for our 2018 FRC build season, we have maintained a student roster of 35 students.
Future Plan The team s major goal within the next three years is to establish a FIRST community in Palmdale. Team 5012 plans to start at least two FRC, four FTC, and four FLL teams by 2019. This goal will be achieved by outreach to local schools. Firstly, Gryffingear contacts a school asking if they would be willing to have the team present at their school. Once students and teachers are interested, they are walked through the process of becoming an official FIRST team and then Gryffingear continues to mentor the rookie team. In terms of outreach, team 5012 will continue to set up informational booths and give as many presentations as possible at city exhibitions, conventions, and functions. In January of 2018, team 5012 hosted our first annual FRC Kickoff. Ongoing outreach efforts include robotics workshops at community centers, the Summer Robotics Workshop where local kids build and compete with small robotics, and weekly presentations at Thursday Night on the Square during the summer. Team 5012 has several sponsors, especially those in the aerospace industry, who have assured us they will renew their sponsorship in coming years. The team is looking to partner with more local small businesses as another way to give back to community.
Diversity Plan In an effort to promote team diversity and equal opportunities to all, team 5012 Gryffingear is thoroughly committed to ensuring all students are encouraged to join the team and actively pursue any role. Team 5012 plans to appeal to all genders, ethnic backgrounds, and other demographics underrepresented in STEM. It is a direct violation of both Palmdale Aerospace Academy and team 5012 policy to discriminate based on a basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, handicap, or any other unfair prejudice. Goal 1: Create a recruiting program that effectively appeals to a broad spectrum of ethnic backgrounds as well as both males and females Use active recruiting efforts to target equally male and female students Include female members on outreach events to show potential female recruits the team is not gender exclusive or biased Target to match the racial and ethnic demographics of The Palmdale Aerospace Academy Goal 2: Make necessary adjustments to accommodate to people with disabilities Find innovative solutions to allow any persons with disabilities and opportunity to actively participate on the team Encourage those with disabilities to join the team as well Keep up with handicapped members and inquiry about possible accommodations to the team member s handicap Goal 3: Develop an encouraging environment for all team members Ensure all team members receive equal opportunity to pursue any team roles and jobs Reprimand students for discriminatory or prejudiced remarks or actions toward team members Encourage all ideas and refrain from putting down others ideas
Team Structure Team 5012 is organized into two distinct, but cooperative departments. The Engineering department is concerned with the robot and is comprised of the Manufacturing, Control Systems, Strategy, and Safety committees. The Business Operations department focuses on team promotion and fundraising and is comprised of the Communications, Awards and Recognition, Finance, and Outreach committees. The Finance and Outreach groups as well as the treasurer look at potential fundraisers that are then approved by a two-thirds vote from team 5012 and TPAA ASB. To ensure funds are properly spent, we have an approval process in which a purchase order is first voted on by at least a two-thirds vote. Then, the purchase order must be reviewed and signed off by a committee lead, treasurer, team captain, and team advisor. After this, the purchase order along with meeting minutes reflecting approval are sent to ASB for official school approval. Lastly, TPAA approves the purchase and completes the order. The finance committee and team leadership contact sponsors and follows through on sponsor agreements. To recruit new members the team participates in school functions like club fairs to recruit more members to our already extensive waiting list. As for our efforts to recruit mentors, we have been successful in bringing six additional mentors from both aerospace industry sponsors and FIRST alumni.
Organizational Plan Project Management: In past years Team 5012 has experimented with multiple project management programs, such as, Basecamp and Teamweek. Currently the team uses Trello, Google drive, and Slack to make project completion more efficient. The first tool, Trello, is used to organize and prioritize tasks. Leadership creates trello cards assigning tasks to individuals on their committees. The second tool, google drive, is where we keep anything and everything we do. We organize our work and keep all of our progress up to date. Our final tool, Slack, is used for quick contact within our team to get work done, it is an excellent communication device for our team. Communication: In addition to meetings the team uses email posts to communicate. The team point of contact sends out regular emails to students, mentors, parents, and advisors. These include things such as notices of meetings, information about upcoming meeting, and progress reports. During competitions and build season the team uses Slack, and sends group messages in public channels, divided into individual committees, to communicate quickly. This platform allows teammates to have discussions with one another efficiently. In addition to being a great verbal communication tool, Slack can also send out surveys and important information to the entire team on a short notice. This can be especially useful for sharing things not mentioned in the weekly emails to team members and mentors. Meeting Schedule: The team holds mandatory meetings on Wednesday and Saturdays throughout the school year. During Build Season the team meets Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Tuesday and Friday meetings are optional in build season. Over the summer vacation meetings are held as needed to prepare for the next school year. School day meetings are from 4 P.M. to 7 P.M. On Saturday, a one-hour leadership meeting is held at 10 A.M., continuing into the general membership that concludes at 4 P.M. to make for a 5-hour meeting.
Robots Over BASILISK The 2014 off-season build project for team 5012. It was a remake of what we initially saw during the season of 2014, it had a large metallic claw on it that was in the shape of a mouth, it was also able to hold a ball within its jaws. It also was equipped with a metallic shaft that was powered by air to help jolt the ball out of the claw s grasp and into the goals on the field. It was the fastest robot we have created with a top speed of just over 15 ft per second making it a fast and dangerous competitor in the competition field during the off-season. Golden SNITCH The 2014 World Championship qualifier robot created for our very first competitive year of FIRST Robotics Competition. It was a kicker design that was made to kick the ball over the trust and into the high goal. To hold the ball, it had a picker type mechanism to hold the ball while it adjusted its position to attempt to score. The kicker had a potentiometer to be able to accurately kick the ball over the trust and score into the low goal.
The Years FAWKES The 2015 world championship robot. The design consisted of an elevator mechanism that was driven with a sprocket and chain pulley system. The main elevator frame was built for maximum height out of standard 2x1 aluminum tubing. A carriage which rode on the elevator was designed to snap over and lift totes. The original design had an arm on the carriage that oscillated back and forth to acquire the totes from any angle. and built a can grabbing system which consisted of two claws that came down rapidly using pneumatics. MISCHIEF The 2016 World Championship qualifying robot started off as a small 4ft tall robot with a small drop-down intake made for breaking through the defenses. It was able to help us win the 2016 Los Angeles Regional with teams 987 HIGHROLLERS and 1197 Torbots for a close tie breaker final match. Later, around the Championship we were able to make a working climber as well but lost low bar capabilities. Soon after we created a superstructure for Mischief that allowed us to field and shoot high goals consistently.
Continued MAD-EYE The 2017 world championship qualifying robot, Mad-Eye, was originally designed with the strategy of scoring fuel into the boiler high goals. Our first six weeks of build were devoted to this strategy. However, after the San Diego Regional in March, team 5012 completely changed its robot to fit a new strategy of scoring gears in autonomous and tele-op to get all 4 rotors turning. In end game, Mad-Eye shot up a custom-made rope at a maximum speed of 5 seconds. NAGINI The 2017 offseason robot, Nagini, was a nimble gear centric robot designed to score gears quickly in the autonomous and tele-op periods. The robot s passive intake was designed to only except gears from the human loading station, this required careful precision and coordination between the drivers and the human players. In the end game, Nagini could quickly climb up a custom-made rope and blinding speeds of a possible 5 seconds. Nagini was the fourth pick for the first seed alliance, which later won first place at the Mad Town Throw Down offseason event.
2018 s Luna To be revealed February 20
Financial Plan
Target Market Marketing Mediums Online Presence: Team 5012 uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to advertise upcoming team events and give the community information on past events. Special Facebook posts are boosted for a fee based on the audience size. Twitter is used to alert followers to team events coming up. Instagram contains team photos from competition, meetings, and events. Several YouTube videos cover our robot, team, and parody songs. Lastly, team 5012 has their our website at www.gryffingear.com where information and additional resources can be found. News: The team is covered by both television media and the local newspapers. We contact the media to come to our events about two weeks ahead of time. Press releases are sent out to alert the media. Regular coverage helps the community at large learn about the FIRST program. Flyers: Team 5012 generates flyers with Microsoft Publisher, Piktochart, and Canva for our events. They are distributed by students to peers, parents, and partners. The flyers are also converted into PDF files and posted on to social media.
Fundraising Team 5012 Gryffingear uses several methods to raise funds throughout the year. These are essential to keeping the team thriving. The goal is to be able to raise enough funds to support the next school year in advance. Sustainability in regards to the budget is one of the team s top priorities. Sponsorships Contacting potential sponsors is the most efficient way to raise funds. The team corporate and university sponsors are the team s largest source of income. Team 5012 contacts most sponsors via email or telephone communication. The team will give presentations for possible sponsors who wish to see one. For the 2017 competition season, team 5012 has 10 active sponsors. Grants In addition to sponsor contributions, grants provide a substantial amount of income. Team members seek out potential grants online. Once found the team applies for the grant. Some corporate and university partners offer the team grants as well. Fireworks Booth Gryffingear s largest fundraising effort is selling TNT Fireworks. It is estimated to yield over $8,000 each year. Only adults can legally sell the fireworks so team parents, siblings, and mentors lend their support. Merchandise Sales The team s spirit wear is highly appealing and as a result it is highly sought after. Aside from the actual team 5012 members, customers from other teams and the community also purchase team 5012 apparel. High quality clothing is designed and purchased from vendors such as Uberprints and Sam s Silkscreening. This apparel is then sold at above a 100% markup to make a fair profit. Additionally, the team sell thematic promotional items such as wands and buttons. The team website is a new expansion for merchandise sales, allowing people to access the products more efficiently.
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FIRST CAW
Sponsorship Relationships Sponsors engagements are divided into four tiers each with increasingly beneficial incentives to sponsor the team. The Bronze Wizard ($500) bronze tier sponsors are given listing on our team website, and a singed team picture. Silver Wizard ($1,000) silver sponsors also are listed on the site and given are a complimentary team shirt, and signed team picture. Gold Wizard ($3,000) gold sponsors get site listing, recognition on promotional items, signed team picture, and two team shirts. Platinum wizard platinum tier sponsors who have given $5,000 or more in materials, services, or donation receive recognition on the site, promotional items, four team shirts, a signed team picture and a featured spot in our Chairman s video. Every sponsor will also receive a signed team picture and thank you letter. To keep the community engaged the team attends every city function possible to spark interest in people who would other- wise be unaware of FIRST. The team also invites the media to cover all public team events.
2018 Sponsorships
Deployment of Resources The majority of team revenue is directed towards building the robot and paying for regional events, which is around 65% of the team s funds, amounting to $12,000. Also, 25% of team funds are used for the development of the team robot and engineering equipment. However, about 10% of the team budget is set aside for the business operations department. This money allows team 5012 to purchase things such as professional cameras to take pictures for the team s social media and in promotional items. Quality team shirts ordered through Uberprints and spirit wear are also used to create a distinct team presence. Banners designed on Vistaprint are used to grab attention to team 5012 and give recognition to our sponsors. To get the community interested, especially children, the team designs giveaways including bracelets, temporary tattoos, and buttons.these small promotional items allow us to establish a bond and connection with the community. Those seeking more information on the team can read team brochures or in the monthly newsletter. Professional business cards are given to anyone looking to contact the team or select members directly. Presentations are given at local schools to start fellow teams and community events to raise FIRST awareness. PowerPoint presentations along with informational brochures and flyers are handed out to also raise awareness. In addition, parent donations help keep our team s pantry full.
Team Purchase Protocol A three step approval process ensures responsible spending of all team funds. When team 5012 needs to purchase something a team member researches the exacts needs. The order is reviewed by the team treasurer who then generates the necessary purchase request forms. Once the forms have been created, team 5012 conducts a two-thirds vote to approve the total expenditure. The team parliamentarian then record the approval in the meeting minutes. Following this process, a check request is sent to ASB. Similar to team 5012, ASB conducts a two-thirds vote to approve the purchase and then records the approval in their meeting minutes. After this has been done ASBupdates their collaborative website to with status of each approval. Finally, The Palmdale Aerosapce Academy adminstration recieves all the necessary forms to make a purchase. The school s accounts payable manager reviews the order for the accuracy and then places the order. This process gaurantees team funds are spend effectively and properly.`
Strategic Plan
SWOT Analysis Among the team s strengths, they have an interested and supportive community and school willing to fund the team. The team s weaknesses include having too many members which could possibly be too much to effectively manage. To prevent team 5012 from getting too large there is a 50- member limit on the team. Members are given specific positions on the team which may lead to labor specialization. However, we allow members to change positions each year to avoid this. Lastly, a lack of communication among parts of the team could result in information being interpreted incorrectly or lost completely. The team is presev1`nted with a unique opportunity to expand the FIRST program in the City of Palmdale. Outside of TPAA there are no other FRC or FTC teams and only one FLL team. Since the aerospace industry has a huge engineering influence, there are several schools in Palmdale interested in starting a team. This gave our team the ability to grow an entire FIRST network in Palmdale. Team 5012 faces minimal threats, but the primary concern is a loss of financial support from sponsors. Gryffingear makes attempts to partner with sponsors and fundraise year-round to keep constant funding. Though unlikely, we also could have our equipment or robot stolen, but we prevent this by ensuring all valuables are locked up.
Season Goals `
Strategic Plan Objectives
In order to perpetuate the FIRST experience team 5012 must be able to support a sustainable and long-term program. Sustainability will be achieved through two processes. The first process is establishing financial protocols that will allow for the program to continue into the following years. This will be achieved primarily through maintaining sponsor relations and allocation funds to rollover for the following year s budget. The second process is achieving continuous school and student support. Team 5012 will need to establish a reputation that encourages support. Chiefly, maintaining a flow of rookies into the team each year will supply
The top priority of team 5012 is to grow the FIRST program and share the experience. To achieve this goal, actionable deadlines must be set to establish local FIRST teams. Acting as leaders in the community to initiate the growth of FIRST will allow team 5012 to ensure progress is being made. When team 5012 first began it was the only FRC team in the City of Palmdale. In the next three years team 5012 will establish a FIRST network in the Antelope Valley capable of sustaining the FIRST presence in the area.
FIRST is about more than just robots. The program seeks to instill values and life skills into all participants. As a fifth-year team it is the responsibility of team 5012 to lead by example. If the team can be a model of how a FIRST team should act, then the teams we assist, and mentor will be inspired to act similarly. By educating the rookie members of the team about the principles of FIRST team 5012 can strive towards be a model team.
The mission of FIRST is change the culture of a generation and inspire students to pursue careers in STEM that require leadership, technical, and problems solving-skills. Team 5012 can help FIRST in that goal by giving students on and off the team opportunities to learn STEM. On the team, the process of designing, manufacturing, and programming a robot teaches students STEM through a real-world practical application. Additionally, team members active search for STEM-based scholarship and internships opportunities. Team members then share these resources with each other on team project management sites. Off the team, numerous out- reach efforts allow team 5012 to share STEM with younger students. Such outreach efforts include robotics workshops, seminars, and community events.
The best way team 5012 can serve the Antelope Valley community is to share FIRST. The most organized and sustainable way to do this is to establish a FIRST network in AV. The creation of such a network will allow the presence of FIRST to bloom in the local community. Eventually, this may also lead to a FRC regional in the City of Palmdale. This sort of attraction can benefit Palmdale by bringing tourism to the city. The local businesses will also take notice and many may decide to sponsor FIRST programs. An Antelope Valley FIRST Association will be mutually beneficial to both FIRST and the AV.
Appendix
Contact Information
Media Outlets